Chapter 500: One And The Same Family
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Aunt Zhang couldn’t understand why Gu Zi didn’t push harder. She could have easily negotiated a better price. After all, she was buying five hundred coal balls. Why couldn’t she get them for 0.08 yuan each?
If Aunt Zhang herself were buying in such bulk, she would have insisted on a price of 0.07 yuan per piece. It seemed that even Gu Zi had her moments of confusion.
The coal seller found this woman to be quite straightforward. Although the price was a bit low, the quantity was substantial, which was a good thing. So, after discussing with his wife, he immediately accepted Gu Zi’s money and began counting the coal balls.
Next, the coal seller unloaded a small iron cart from his truck, filled it with coal, and followed Gu Zi towards the Su family home. Gu Zi’s pushcart was filled with the remaining coal balls and the coal that Aunt Zhang had bought. Since Gu Zi was holding her child, Aunt Zhang was the one pushing the cart.
On the way, the coal seller belatedly said to his wife, “I originally wanted to sell them for 0.1 yuan each. I was surprised when she managed to negotiate the price down to 0.09 yuan. Now I understand. She deliberately started with a low offer, making me think that 0.08 yuan was her bottom line, and then she increased it by 0.01 yuan.”
This woman was truly clever. It was as if she had first slapped him, then offered a sweetener. The deal was naturally easily concluded. He hadn’t expected that, after many years of selling coal, he would be outsmarted by a young woman with a child!
The man slapped his thigh, feeling a sense of defeat for the first time in this regard.
His wife said, “I always tell you not to underestimate women. Now you know, not all women are idle and useless. We women are quite formidable. I’ve also heard that there’s a young and successful ten-thousand-yuan household in this area. This place really is a land of outstanding people.”
Little did the couple know, the young woman and the ten-thousand-yuan household they were talking about were one and the same family…
In the Su family kitchen, Gu Zi had cleared a special space for coal balls where the firewood was usually kept. Five hundred coal balls were neatly arranged, instantly filling the space and creating an atmosphere of abundance and prosperity.
Aunt Zhang watched with envy. She asked, “Why didn’t you insist on a lower price earlier? I think they could have sold it for 0.08 yuan each.”
Gu Zi washed her hands and cleaned the coal marks off the face of the little tabby cat, Su Le. “They could sell it for that price, even 0.07 yuan each wouldn’t be a problem. But they are in business to make money. While I consider my own interests, I can’t squeeze their profit margin too much. Besides, 0.09 yuan is already a good deal for me. There’s no need to demand a lower price.”
Upon hearing this, Aunt Zhang finally understood Gu Zi’s intention. She couldn’t help but sigh, “We don’t have your kind of vision. Those women are regretting not marrying Su Shen. But even if they had married him, they wouldn’t have been able to handle such good fortune.”
Gu Zi didn’t respond, but poured a cup of warm water for Aunt Zhang. However, she agreed with one point: the same situation can lead to different outes depending on who is involved.
She couldn’t help but think of Aunt Yang’s situation. She felt that if Aunt Yang wasn’t such a weak and kind person, her circumstances would be much better…
On Saturday afternoon, the therapist who was conducting language rehabilitation training for Lele came for the second time. Gu Zi let them interact alone. She was quite satisfied with the progress from the last session, as Lele was now occasionally uttering longer sentences.
After the training was pleted, Gu Zi had a chat with the therapist. The therapist said, “You’ve done a great job with Lele. You must have been talking to her non-stop. Her progress is quite fast. At this rate, in less than six months, she will be able to recover to the language learning and usage ability of a normal child.”
Gu Zi replied, “Yes, I’ve been following your instructions. Thank you for your hard work. By the way, I have another question to consult. I can pay an additional consultation fee. There’s a child who was locked in a room alone by his mother for a period of time. We’ve found that he has bipolar issues. He’s terrified of any small, dark spaces…”
The therapist, a kind-faced professional who had studied abroad, said honestly, “I can answer your question without a consultation fee. Such children often lack love deep down, even if you say his grandmother and aunt love him very much. The absence of maternal love is very hard to pensate for.
“His current symptoms are early signs of bipolar disorder and claustrophobia. However, there’s still a chance to turn things around.”
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